Behind the scenes prefab production tour in Los Angeles
LA based architecture firm Marmol Radziner has launched full scale production of their award-winning, green, modern prefab homes... and they are offering tours of their new modular factory. Of course they intend for this to be a preview for petential prefab homeowners, but I am sure a few of you prefab geeks will slip your way in just to chek it out.
The "Utah House 1" design is currently in production. Marmol Radziner Prefab's 65,000 square foot factory accommodates the fabrication of 20 prefab modules at once, including a cabinet shop, metal shop, and door and window shop.
Two tour dates are currently offered:
Sunday, September 24, 2006, noon to 5pm
Sunday, December 3, 2006, noon to 5pm
Mandatory RSVP to rsvp@marmolradzinerprefab.com or (310) 689-0089. Free to the public. Children must be over 12 years of age.
Take a moment and check out the eye catching work from Seattle based artist PARSKID. From illustrations to paintings to plush toys, the overall effort is pretty solid.
PARSKID had recently launched a plush figure for MYPLASTICHEART that's appropriately titled myblackheart. Though these have already sold out, MPH also carries a number of handpainted work that's still available.
The itenerant exhibition held at the City Art Gallery in Manchester offered an insight into the creative and eccentric mind of the renowned Italian designer Joe Colombo
I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition "Joe Colombo: Inventing the Future", held at the Manchester City Galleries from the 2 December 2006-25 February 2007, which provided a fascinating journey into Joe Colombo's style and creativity.
Early sketches and prototypes of his objects and furniture opened a time window into the Milanese 1960s where ideologies of future living and compact design merged producing flamboyant results worthy of a museum display.
DesignBoom is truly a worthwhile visit for further images and reading of this colourful exhibition. Also have a look at the Milan Triennale website.
Continuing the tile theme tonight is the ECOTECH tile from Domus Tiles. The ECOTECH tile is made from recycled porcelain leftovers and is available in four colors. Two finish options are also available (natural and structured).
The ECOTECH is an interior/exterior tile designed for both wall and floor use and is offered in 6 sizes with the largest being 23" x 47".
Canadian graphic design studio Valerydesignwrks was recently added to the Spot Collection of decorative mural adhesives by ADzif.
The character driven studio has also announced that twice a month, they will be posting a brand new wallpaper featuring new designs and characters "to help give your desktop a fresh and exciting look".
I don't think we've ever featured a product from Room & Board... I've never bought anything from them... but I've perused their catalog and their products seem decent and some are quite nicely designed.
Take, for instance, this modernized version of the classic American Adirondack chair. I like the laid back comfort of an Adirondack chair... nice wide arm for my beer... but generally don't like the aesthetic. This one might change my mind... depends on how comfortable it actually is to sit in.
I definitely dig the lines and the fact that it is constructed of 100% post-industrial recycled material.
So it turns out the tried and true process of packing your grounds into your espresso machine's portafilter isn't all that great after all. The folks at Illy contend that water doesn't percolate evenly through the grounds. This leaves you with a shot that isn't as rich as it could be.
To deal with this, they've come up with a small pod packed with grounds that first fills with water, saturating the grounds. As the pressure builds, a valve releases, aeration occurs, and you've now got a rich shot with lots of crema. Mmmm, crema.
Illy will be producing their pod-compatible machines first for their commercial customers. In spring 2008 we will see a modified Francis!Francis! version specifically for the consumer market.
Link: Wall Street Journal
Link: Illy
Via: Huffington Post
Award winning designer Susan Bradley confirms her strong sense of design with this new version of her lovely laser cut outdoor 'wallpapers'.
For those new to the name, Susan Bradley is a fresh British design talent. After an established career in the multi-media design industry, she has successfully turned her attention to 3-dimensional design. Since her design studio was established in 2004 Susan's designs have won international acclaim being exhibited in London, Milan, Cologne, Rotterdam and Tokyo, and featuring in leading design, style and interiors media worldwide.
Art inspired by landscape architecture and design | 10/06/07
A bit late to say the least, but let's start the New Year off right by provided a wrap up of Cultivated, an exhibition held in conjunction with the annual ASLA conference in San Francisco back in October.
The Event was a great success, only minutes after Mars Bar opened its doors, the space was filled with the buzz of local artists, landscape architects and designers. String lights lined the sod-covered sidewalk directing the incoming flow through the doors where they were presented with a layout of the exhibits and a schedule for the media show. People meandered through the Front Gallery to explore the art work ranging from photography portraying the American Landscape in Bryan Schutmaat's eyes, poetic mixed media works from local Designer Zach Tanner, and Landscape Architect Christian Lemon's sculptural work constructed from bamboo, wood burl and Japanese maple.
A new "paperless" architecture book featuring facades from around the world.
This book is the result of two years of architectural research. Dynamic facades, ventilated, high-tech or traditional composites with new features. This book shows that currently new skins not only act as an isolating element, besides interact with the environment, optimizing energy exchange with the outside. From Germany to Australia or Korea to Colombia, there are many examples that readers can visit with this publication. With international vocation due to bilingual English-Spanish text and a language away from technicalities, this paper aims to show as an "interactive toy" the evolving field of the facades in architecture.
After years of chatter around the blogoshpere, Kanner Architects' unique gas station on Slauson and LaBrea in Los Angeles finally opens for business. At least that is what our sources tell us...
Aaaand... we are still not able to get this bit of insider information up on the web before a certain someone else did earlier today. Oy vey! So rather than telling you about all the delays, the praise and criticism, the Dutch seamless flooring, Spanish glass tile, monstrous curved channel glass, and massive amount of beautifully crafted stainless steel that was used in this project, we will just provide you with some eye candy recently taken on site. You be the judge...
David Trubridge is one of New Zealand's best-known designers of contemporary furniture. He has designed some very nice indoor/outdoor pieces, and we like his general philosophy.
"DURAT is a polyester-based solid surface material that withstands wear, humidity and chemicals. It is used to create various furniture surfaces for restaurants, cafés, shops, hotels, ships, domestic and institutional kitchens, bathrooms and public sanitary facilities. DURAT contains recycled plastics and is 100% recyclable."
"Rob slewe designed BLOOM! for the new terrace of the Parnassia beach pavillion in the Dutch seaside resort of Bloemendaal. BLOOM! is characterised by its simple but classy design and versatility: a flowerpot doubling as light! Its cleverly designed dimensions make BLOOM suitable not only for flowers and plants indoors as well as outdoors, but also for use at (garden) parties, filled with ice to chill champagne or other mixed drinks, for example.
The double-walled, waterproof flowerpot is made of high-grade plastic. Inside the pot are two 11 watt energy-saving light bulbs that can be connected to both outdoor and indoor lighting systems."
The rising cost and decreased quality of lumber for traditional "stick" framing is forcing the construction industry in the United States to look towards alternative materials and methods. This flexible concrete finish system has many benefits.
"The Panel Construction System is a tried and proven construction process utilizing space frame / concrete sandwich panel engineering technology. This construction process has evolved over the past 30 years, and has been perfected by the patent.
"The core foundation of the system is a welded wire space frame manufactured in variable wire gauges with insulating foam located in the middle of the panel. The panels are manufactured in four-foot widths and specific lengths as required for the application. Panel thickness is also variable to accommodate insulation requirements, load bearing capacities, and architectural design.
One of the leaders of the modern movement in American landscape architecture.
"In 1953 he began building one of his most significant designs, the Rose residence in Ridgewood, New Jersey (which is now open to the public, see link below). The design clearly expresses Rose's idea of fusion between indoor and outdoor space as well as his notion that modern environmental design must be flexible to allow for changes in the environment, as well as in the lives of its users."
An architect of Case Study Houses, Edward Killingsworth used many of the same principles in his own home -- light, glass, an emphasis on indoor-outdoor living.
As one of the last surviving architects of the Case Study House program, Killingsworth, 86, is a quiet hero in the architectural community. His whole career he has consistently been stable, modest, thorough and relatively unknown in comparison to his Southern California contemporaries. Along with well-known figures such as Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eames, Pierre Koenig, Craig Ellwood and Raphael Soriano, he was one of a handful of optimistic, social-minded architects who tested unconventional concepts of plan, form and structure in residential architecture. Conceived by John Entenza, the editor of Arts and Architecture magazine, the Case Study Houses provided affordable yet progressive prototypes for living.
Beautifully simple and functional glass teapot and cups
"The tea lantern by Todd MacAllen and Stephanie Forsythe is clearly a model of product design in the great tradition of Mies and Jacobsen. The Canadian designers have used latest glass technology to create a transparent teapot with an integral vacuum jacket, which conserves heat and allows the simple cylinder to be picked up by hand."
The Architectural Review, ar+d awards 2002 - highly commended
"Gargantua is a multifunctional piece of garden furniture, made of durable materials: galvanised metal, stainless steel and teak.
Gargantua offers 4 benches and place for 8 persons. Each bench can be placed on 4 different heights: normal sitting height, teenagers height, children’s height or all benches at the top (then it is turned into a giant table offering place for 12 persons). The benches can be taken away to make place for wheelchair or a highchair. Now also available as option: cushions & backrests. The backrest can also easily fitted to the existing model."
Outdoor/indoor furniture by Belgian designer Mathias Claerhout
We like the simple materials and delicate lines of the Deckhopper, an adjustable lounge chair for use indoors or out. Claerhout has also designed several accessory pieces which vary from the practical (Side Table) to the whimsical (Lightsprinkler).
Really nice modern bedspreads, pillows and throw blankets by Bay Area designers Max and Linda Geiser. The line offers a wide variety of patterns, colors, materials and sizes.
We saw this at a new restaurant recently... like Greg Brady's attic bedroom that we were always so jealous of, but way more sexy. It's just a chain of metal balls, nothing new here, but the application... ah the application of the system. It can be used for a wide variety of effects and purposes as demonstrated on their website, and is available in a range of sizes, colors, textures, finishes and track configurations. Does it make you randy, baby?
Developed by architect, Eric Rosen, and furniture maker, Joel Stearns, Terraboard is a product made from recycled papers bonded together with glues and hardeners to form durable tiles and panels for a variety of applications. Three basic product lines provide a rand of color and texture options. Custom panels can be made to incorporate graphics, special papers, etc.
"Egg Bird Feeders attract many types of wild birds and the elegant, clean design is a perfect addition to any outdoor environment. The handmade Egg Bird Feeder is also easy to use, durable and gray squirrel proof."
When we saw the work of this young photographer, we felt as if we had found a kindred spirit... though one who is truly a photographer and not just someone who loves to document everything with photographs as we do. Some of his work made us think of the photographs we love by Charles and Ray Eames. We truly admire Pete's eye for capturing the extraordinary, humorous, and sublime in the ordinary environments that surround us.
In addition to his own very nicely designed online portfolio, some of his work is featured on fStopImages.
Peter Baker is disarming. The youngest contributor to the fStop collection, his work is a synthesis of studied professionalism and youthful exuberance.
Translucent furniture by architect Jeanne Scandura
The Tread line of funky translucent chairs and cubes stands in contrast to the sculptural and graceful Wave line of furniture also by Float that we featured a while back. That's what we like about Float, they design furniture that shares a common spirit, but a that has a completely different feel and look. Both the Tread chair and cube come in a variety of translucent cast rubber colors.
LA based architecture firm Marmol Radziner has launched full scale production of their award-winning, green, modern prefab homes... and they are offering tours of their new modular factory. Of course they intend for this to be a preview for petential prefab homeowners, but I am sure a few of you prefab geeks will slip your way in just to chek it out.
I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition "Joe Colombo: Inventing the Future", held at the 
I don't think we've ever featured a product from Room & Board... I've never bought anything from them... but I've perused their catalog and their products seem decent and some are quite nicely designed.
So it turns out the tried and true process of packing your grounds into your espresso machine's portafilter isn't all that great after all. The folks at Illy contend that water doesn't percolate evenly through the grounds. This leaves you with a shot that isn't as rich as it could be.
To deal with this, they've come up with a small pod packed with grounds that first fills with water, saturating the grounds. As the pressure builds, a valve releases, aeration occurs, and you've now got a rich shot with lots of crema. Mmmm, crema.
Illy will be producing their pod-compatible machines first for their commercial customers. In spring 2008 we will see a modified Francis!Francis! version specifically for the consumer market.
Link: 
Award winning designer Susan Bradley confirms her strong sense of design with this new version of her lovely laser cut outdoor 'wallpapers'.
A bit late to say the least, but let's start the New Year off right by provided a wrap up of Cultivated, an exhibition held in conjunction with the annual ASLA conference in San Francisco back in October.
David Trubridge is one of New Zealand's best-known designers of contemporary furniture. He has designed some very nice indoor/outdoor pieces, and we like his general philosophy.
"DURAT is a polyester-based solid surface material that withstands wear, humidity and chemicals. It is used to create various furniture surfaces for restaurants, cafés, shops, hotels, ships, domestic and institutional kitchens, bathrooms and public sanitary facilities. DURAT contains recycled plastics and is 100% recyclable."
"Rob slewe designed BLOOM! for the new terrace of the Parnassia beach pavillion in the Dutch seaside resort of Bloemendaal. BLOOM! is characterised by its simple but classy design and versatility: a flowerpot doubling as light! Its cleverly designed dimensions make BLOOM suitable not only for flowers and plants indoors as well as outdoors, but also for use at (garden) parties, filled with ice to chill champagne or other mixed drinks, for example.
The double-walled, waterproof flowerpot is made of high-grade plastic. Inside the pot are two 11 watt energy-saving light bulbs that can be connected to both outdoor and indoor lighting systems."
The rising cost and decreased quality of lumber for traditional "stick" framing is forcing the construction industry in the United States to look towards alternative materials and methods. This flexible concrete finish system has many benefits.
"In 1953 he began building one of his most significant designs, the Rose residence in Ridgewood, New Jersey (which is now open to the public, see link below). The design clearly expresses Rose's idea of fusion between indoor and outdoor space as well as his notion that modern environmental design must be flexible to allow for changes in the environment, as well as in the lives of its users."
As one of the last surviving architects of the Case Study House program, Killingsworth, 86, is a quiet hero in the architectural community. His whole career he has consistently been stable, modest, thorough and relatively unknown in comparison to his Southern California contemporaries. Along with well-known figures such as Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eames, Pierre Koenig, Craig Ellwood and Raphael Soriano, he was one of a handful of optimistic, social-minded architects who tested unconventional concepts of plan, form and structure in residential architecture. Conceived by John Entenza, the editor of Arts and Architecture magazine, the Case Study Houses provided affordable yet progressive prototypes for living.
Michael from FabPreFab.com has posted images of the finished Glidehouse that was on show at the Sunset Celebration this past weekend in Menlo Park.
"The tea lantern by Todd MacAllen and Stephanie Forsythe is clearly a model of product design in the great tradition of Mies and Jacobsen. The Canadian designers have used latest glass technology to create a transparent teapot with an integral vacuum jacket, which conserves heat and allows the simple cylinder to be picked up by hand."
"Gargantua is a multifunctional piece of garden furniture, made of durable materials: galvanised metal, stainless steel and teak.
We like the simple materials and delicate lines of the Deckhopper, an adjustable lounge chair for use indoors or out. Claerhout has also designed several accessory pieces which vary from the practical (Side Table) to the whimsical (Lightsprinkler).
Really nice modern bedspreads, pillows and throw blankets by Bay Area designers Max and Linda Geiser. The line offers a wide variety of patterns, colors, materials and sizes.
We saw this at a new restaurant recently... like Greg Brady's attic bedroom that we were always so jealous of, but way more sexy. It's just a chain of metal balls, nothing new here, but the application... ah the application of the system. It can be used for a wide variety of effects and purposes as demonstrated on their website, and is available in a range of sizes, colors, textures, finishes and track configurations. Does it make you randy, baby?
Developed by architect, Eric Rosen, and furniture maker, Joel Stearns, Terraboard is a product made from recycled papers bonded together with glues and hardeners to form durable tiles and panels for a variety of applications. Three basic product lines provide a rand of color and texture options. Custom panels can be made to incorporate graphics, special papers, etc.
"Egg Bird Feeders attract many types of wild birds and the elegant, clean design is a perfect addition to any outdoor environment. The handmade Egg Bird Feeder is also easy to use, durable and gray squirrel proof."
When we saw the work of this young photographer, we felt as if we had found a kindred spirit... though one who is truly a photographer and not just someone who loves to document everything with photographs as we do. Some of his work made us think of the photographs we love by Charles and Ray Eames. We truly admire Pete's eye for capturing the extraordinary, humorous, and sublime in the ordinary environments that surround us.
The Tread line of funky translucent chairs and cubes stands in contrast to the sculptural and graceful Wave line of furniture also by Float that we